Second-Best to None
by DarkieDucessa
Summary: The new tournament of 2014 is coming up soon, and everybody is getting ready for it. Stages are being repaired and constructed, smashers are training, and newcomers are learning the ropes. And for Marth, the day had started normally enough... (Marth/Samus, oneshot. Includes SSB4.)


It was yet another bright summer morning, and though it was still early, the Smash Mansion was already alive with activity. The new tournament was up and coming in just a few short months, and Master Hand had put all the mansion's residents to work, preparing the new arenas and items for the battles to come.

From his perch on top of the Fire Emblem Arena, Marth could see over half of the other stages, spread out nearby in their separate 'zones' and ready to be worked on. He could also see most of the other smashers, though only a few were more than colored specks in the distance. There were Pit and Captain Falcon, carrying a scaffolding over to Skyloft; there was Luigi, repairing some broken tiles in the Battlefield while Zelda and Pikachu tended to the flowers; there were Lucario and Toon Link, plus some newcomers, checking on the old Norfair stage, seeing if it was still good enough to use...

"Excuse me? My lord?"

The swordsman snapped himself out of his thoughts and glanced back at the newcomer beside him—the young woman with a striking resemblance to Marth himself. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"Am I bothering you?" Lucina asked cautiously. "If you were thinking of something important, than I wouldn't want to distract you..."

Inwardly, Marth sighed. This woman was apparently his distant descendant, and she seemed to worship the very ground he walked on; it was getting a little annoying. "Really, it was nothing. What were you saying?" he repeated.

"Well..." She hesitated. "I was asking why we were up here. I'm afraid I missed what the Master Hand was telling us, and I've been a little distracted myself."

"That's understandable. Crazy Hand was talking too, at the time, and it can be hard to tell their voices apart." Marth smiled faintly. "Master Hand wanted me to fix a few boards down there—" he pointed to the floor of the arena walls just below them— "and he suggested I take you up and show you around while I was at it."

"Ah." Lucina nodded. "Should we go fix the boards first, then?"

"Well, we're already up here, so..." Marth looked back off the wall. "What do you think of the tourney so far, anyway?"

The young woman paused, looking out at the other stages herself. "...It's...quite interesting," she finally said. "I'm not sure how to put it into words...Hectic? Somewhat random? Rather confusing?"

Marth laughed. "Yes, it can certainly be all those things, especially before a new tournament. You get used to it eventually."

"I suppose I shall, but it's still rather odd..." Lucina paused again. "Still, I am only a newcomer myself. I almost want to say it must be worse for you, my lord..."

"How so?" Marth queried.

"W-well, you've been here for over ten years, after all," the woman said logically. "You must have many more responsibilities—us newcomers don't even 'have' to work on the stages like the rest of you. The Master Hand just told us to wander around and check things out, after all. But all of you have to work so hard..!"

Marth paused. "Hmm. I never thought of it that way. Maybe that's because, when I was a newcomer, they were short on hands as it was...I didn't get the chance to relax and see the sights before the tournament started."

"Really?" Lucina asked. "Were there really that few of you here?"

The swordsman nodded. "There were only some...six smashers, maybe ten, before I came? I don't remember exactly. But the new tournament was such a step up from the old one, there was a lot of work to be done. I remember my first day...Roy and I had just gotten to the door, and Master Hand just grabbed our bags and told us to go pull a scaffolding off of Link. It was a little hectic!"

Lucina laughed, then quickly cleared her throat. "Er, yes. Hectic, indeed. Pardon me for laughing, it must've been harsh..."

This time, Marth actually did sigh. "You can laugh, Lucina. You don't have to be so uptight all the time."

"B-but you're the Hero King!" she protested. "It would be terribly rude to laugh at you, my lord! Or speak informally!"

"Lucina..." Marth laughed slightly. "There's something that you should understand, while you're here. No matter what we are in our own worlds, whether goddess or hero or just an ordinary man—we are all equals. I'm not your lord, and I'm not a king—I'm just 'Marth'. You're not a princess, you're just 'Lucina'."

The woman shook her head firmly. "But I could never be so casual with you, my lord!"

"The Robins don't call me 'my lord', do they?" Marth asked bluntly.

Lucina flushed slightly pink. "W-well, they've always been like that. And they have amnesia, so they're not all up to date on...etiquette, and such...a-and! They just weren't thinking!"

_I wonder if her father would've been like this,_ Marth wondered blankly. _He seemed casual enough, what little I saw of him...Pity he won't get to fight in the tournament..._

"Seriously, Lucina. You're in the Smash Tournament now. You're going to be living with these people—" Marth spread his arm out to gesture at all the other stages and people below— "and fighting them on an almost daily basis, for who knows how many years. You can't afford to waste any of your sanity on formalities—you'll need all of it you can get to not lose your mind entirely."

"Y-you mean..." Lucina frowned. "Is there some kind of curse, that makes the smashers go insane!?"

Marth blinked. "What? No!"

"And you've been afflicted as well, my lord...This is terrible!" In an instant, Lucina had her Falchion out, and was turning back towards the stairs. "I must search out the source of this plague, and remove it!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Lucina!" Marth grabbed her shoulder before she could run off, and turned her back around. He took a deep breath. "Wait. There is no 'plague'. I don't even know _how_ you came to that conclusion. I'm just trying to say, in the nicest words I can think of, that everybody would really prefer it if you were casual around here. Okay?"

The woman blinked. "But..."

"Please, Lucina," Marth implored.

There was a long, hesitant pause. Then, finally...

"Alright...M-Marth," Lucina finally said.

The swordsman smiled. "There, that wasn't so hard. Now put your sword away, and let's go fix up those boards like we're supposed to. Alright? No more talk of 'searching out plagues' or whatever...Try to relax."

Lucina nodded, and even smiled. "Alright."

_Well, that's a good first step,_ Marth thought.

Xx-xXx-xX

An hour later, and the boards were all fixed again. Marth and Lucina were just leaving the Fire Emblem Arena when they bumped into a few other familiar smashers.

Or rather, Marth bumped into a two-by-four. Literally.

"Ah! My lord Marth!" Lucina cried, startled, as the swordsman stumbled backwards from the force of the blow.

"Ow!" Marth complained. "Not again..."

"Oh, did I get you?" the man carrying the two-by-four asked. "Sorry..."

"I really need to stop walking around corners without looking first," the swordsman said, rubbing the newly formed bump on his head. "Hey, Ike."

"Hey," Ike replied lightly. "I really am sorry. It's not like I'm _trying_ to hit you."

"That's what, the fifth time that's happened in two weeks?" Marth asked. "Five hundredth in six years? It's fine. I'm pretty used to it by now."

Ike smiled sheepishly. "Yeah..."

"Um, are we going to talk for a bit?" another voice said from behind Ike. "Because if we are, I'm just going to set this down. My arms are killing me."

"Oh, right. Go ahead." Ike set down his two-by-four, and behind him, a tall and slender woman in a tight blue jumpsuit set down the heavy metal toolbox she'd been carrying and stretched her arms.

Lucina, who'd been stunned silent for a couple minutes now, suddenly spoke; "Wait! _You're_ the famous hero Ike? The Radiant Hero? Hero of Blue Flames? _That_ Ike?"

"Uh..." Said hero paused. "Well, yes, but why?"

Lucina's jaw dropped, and she was stunned silent again, only gasping slightly for air—_Kind of like a fish, _Marth thought aimlessly. _Or something._

Ike glanced at her, then back over at Marth. "Is she always like this?" he asked, jerking his thumb in her direction.

Marth laughed. "Kind of, I suppose."

Ike laughed as well. "The newcomers just get stranger and stranger, don't they? Eh, Samus?"

The other woman glanced over, then shrugged. "I suppose so, yes. Though this one is hardly any stranger than either of you were."

"True, I guess," Ike replied. "Though I didn't stand around staring at people like this one. Did you do that, Marth?"

The swordsman blinked a couple times, snapping out of his thoughts. "W-what? D-did you—I mean, well—no, I wasn't really like that...I guess?"

Ike frowned. "You alright? I think you kinda unfocused there..."

"I-I'm fine," Marth insisted, feeling his ears heat up a little. "Really."

Samus snorted slightly. "Like I said. Odd." She picked up the box again. "We should really get this finished before lunch, Ike. Let's go."

"Alright," the hero said with a slight shrug, picking up his two-by-four. "Look out, Marth. I'll see you later at lunch, right?"  
"Yeah, see you." Marth stepped aside, giving the other man a wide berth so as not to get hit again. Then he quickly pulled Lucina out of the arena, before his mind wandered again.

Lucina finally snapped out of her daze. "I just m-met the Radiant Hero..." she mumbled in awe.

"You should've seen him before," Marth commented. "He used to be thinner, more wiry...kind of like me, I suppose. But then Master Hand put him on some kind of special weight-training regimen, and now...well, you saw him. Totally ripped! I don't know how he did it..."

"I met th-the Hero of B-Blue Flames..." Lucina mumbled.

Marth regarded her for a moment. "...Um. Right. Anyway, let's see if there's anything else we can help with."

Xx-xXx-xX

The pair somehow found their way over to the old Final Destination stage, from the last tournament. There, they met a few more smashers, both new and old.

"No, you were supposed to get _that_ side! No, no, I'll get it...Wait! Give me a hand..."

Marth knew those frazzled yelps anywhere. "Hey, Zelda. Need any help?"

The Hylian princess glanced up from the floor of the stage and flashed a smile. "Oh, hello, Marth! Yes, if you could help me with this, I'd be quite grateful..."

She seemed to be in the process of taking out a box of wiring from the base of the stage. The Wii Fit Trainer and Link were on the other end, sorting a pile of cables out from a similar box. Marth sat down next to Zelda and carefully took the box from her. "You're taking this out, right?"

"Yes," she replied, "Master Hand asked me to take these out, so he can use them in a different stage. I tried to get Link to help, but he is not very good with these things..."

"Er...Is there something I can do?" Lucina asked curiously.

Zelda glanced at her curiously, and Marth made quick introductions; "Zelda, this is Lucina, a newcomer. Lucina, Zelda."

"A pleasure," the princess offered politely.

Lucina nodded, and then Marth told her quickly; "Why don't you go over to those two, and help them sort the cables out?" Seeing the woman's blank expression, he added; "The...the strings. You just need to organize them by color, and similar ends. Could you do that?"

Lucina thought for a moment, then nodded. "I think I can...Alright." She hurried over to the other pair, and Marth saw her quickly introduce herself. Wii Fit introduced herself and Link as well, and then Lucina sat down and started taking cables out of their box.

As Marth took their own box out and set it down, Zelda leaned over to talk to him quietly. "She looks just like you," she commented. "There are a few differences, but other than that..."

Marth nodded. "She's my descendant...distant, but still. Apparently I'm a legend to her..."

Zelda smiled. "You must enjoy the attention.."

"Not really." The swordsman shrugged. "To be honest, I'm already used to being just 'Marth', so when she started calling me 'my lord', it was...a little awkward, I suppose."

"Still, it's not everybody who is remembered so well by their descendants," Zelda commented, taking the lid off the box in front of her. "And she seems like a nice enough girl. When did she get here?"

"About a week ago, with a few others," Marth replied. "Robin...not sure how they figure with her. And her father...he's part of Robin's 'final attack'."

"I think I saw him earlier," Zelda said thoughtfully. "He was talking with Midna, I believe. But I'm not sure about Robin..."

"The white haired guy and girl?" Marth suggested, taking a few red cables from the box and setting them aside. "I think the girl might be Lucina's mother, but I'm not certain."

"Hmm..." Zelda thought for a moment, carefully extracting a long blue wire from the box. "Did Crazy Hand nickname the man 'Rufure'? I believe I saw him earlier."

"'Rufure'...Well, that would make it easier to talk to them," the swordsman commented. "The Wii Fit Trainers are confusing enough..."

"Indeed," Zelda agreed.

For a few minutes they organized cables in silence; the only sounds came from the other three at the opposite end of the stage. Lucina and Wii Fit were chatting animatedly, and they seemed to be getting along rather well; and though Link wasn't talking, he seemed to be enjoying the conversation too. Marth found his thoughts were wandering again...

_I haven't seen Samus in awhile,_ he thought. _...Several weeks, actually. She's been off working with Master Hand...probably trying to convince him to take a few inches off her heels. They do seem a bit...extreme. Extremely tall. As if she didn't tower over everybody already...well...at least, it _feels_ like she towers over everybody already. She's what, six inches taller than me now? Seven?_ He sighed slightly, mostly to himself.

"Have you talked with Samus recently?" Zelda abruptly asked, startling him.

"W-what? Oh, I saw her just a bit ago," Marth stammered out quickly. _I wonder if she was reading my thoughts_. "She was helping Ike with something in the Fire Emblem Arena, I think."

"So that's where that bruise came from." The princess smiled faintly, tapping the spot on Marth's forehead.

The swordsman smiled sheepishly. "Yes, Ike did get me again."

"What did you talk about?" Zelda asked curiously.

"Well, Samus didn't say much. Ike and I talked about Lucina a bit, then about being newcomers...it was sort of random," Marth said lamely. He set aside another cable, then realized the end was wrong and took it back. "...Er...out of curiosity, how tall are Samus' heels?"

Zelda paused. "...Three inches, I think. Why?"

"Um, no reason. Just curious."

_Seven inches...I wonder if anybody would notice if I started wearing six-inch platforms?_ Marth snorted to himself, under his breath. _Yeah, they'd definitely notice._

_ ...Th-this is silly, anyway...Why do I care how much taller than me she is...? I'm so odd sometimes..._

Xx-xXx-xX

Another hour passed, and it was time for the lunch break. Marth and Zelda had managed to sort the whole box, and when they went to check they found the other three were done with theirs as well.

"Thanks for the help, you two," Zelda said sweetly, picking up one of the boxes of newly sorted cables. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Marth assured her. "I'll see you later, I suppose?"

"Yes, I'll see you." She flashed a smile, then turned back to Link and Wii Fit—the latter was teaching the former how to do a proper Triangle pose, and neither was actually carrying the other box like they were supposed to. Marth and Lucina slipped off before Zelda's lecture started.

"I have to say I'm surprised at how nice everyone is," Lucina said lightly, as they headed back towards the mansion. "Considering the nature of the tournament, I was expecting more people to be antagonistic, but so far everyone's been perfectly friendly!"

"Well, it would be pretty hard for everyone to compete fairly for so long if we all hated each other," Marth said reasonably. "Some people are more antagonistic, though...the villains, for instance."

"Villains?" Lucina asked innocently. "I didn't think they competed here."

"No, there are villains here, too," Marth informed her. "Bowser is one. Ganondorf is another, though we don't know yet if he's in for the new tournament or not. They can both be pretty nasty, especially to newcomers..."

The young woman frowned. "...Should I be concerned?"

"No, you'll be fine," Marth assured her. "You'll be with Ike and I, and they know better than to mess with both of us at once."

"...The Hero King and the Hero of Blue Flames..." Lucina mused. "What a team you must make! Smiting all foes in your path! It truly must be a sight to behold, my lord!"

_Here we go again..._ Marth sighed inwardly.

Xx-xXx-xX

Someone had set up a few rows of tables outside for the weary smashers to have lunch on, which Marth was grateful for—the day was so hot, he probably would've roasted inside. As it was, he'd still taken his cape and armor off, and Lucina had done the same.

Ike had a table already, and he waved the pair over. With him were a pair of white-haired tacticians and a tall blue-haired man Marth recognized as Lucina's father, Chrom. The young woman slipped into a seat next to her father and the female Robin; Marth took the seat opposite her, next to Ike.

In a few seconds, Peach was there with a tray of ice water glasses, which she quickly passed around. "I'll be back in a minute with your sandwiches!" she said brightly, before darting off again.

"So what've you been doing all morning, anyway?" Ike asked of Marth lightly. The mercenary had taken off his cape and armor as well, then gone a step farther and taken off all his extra belts and his gloves.

"Sorting cables with Zelda, mostly," Marth replied, before taking a drink. The water was cold and refreshing, and he couldn't resist a slight sigh of pleasure.

"Lucky you. I've been dragging heavy things around all day for Bowser and Ganondorf," Ike grumbled.

"Well, if you look all buff like that, it's no wonder they make you do the heavy lifting," the male Robin—Rufure, Marth recalled—teased, lightly punching Ike's shoulder.

"Just because I look tough doesn't mean I don't get tired!" the hero complained. "Now I'm going to be all burned out when I test Skyloft for Master Hand later..."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Marth assured him. "And if you really need help with that, I'll come over later."

"Wouldn't mind having someone to spar against while I'm testing it, so sure," Ike said with a shrug.

"Oh, are you two going to fight?" Robin asked eagerly. "When is this? Can I watch?"

"Um, it's around five-ish?" Ike said blankly.

"Robin," Chrom said evenly. "I'm sure they'd rather be allowed to practice in peace."

"But what if we came and sparred with them?" Lucina suggested brightly. "Then you can come too, Father! In case Mother needs help!"

"Um...I think I'm going to need to ask Master Hand about that," Ike mentioned cautiously. "I'm pretty sure he wanted to test two fighters at most, not four."

"Aww..." Lucina and Robin's faces fell, just a little.

Marth sighed slightly, giving in. "Oh, you can come and watch anyway. I don't mind."

They immediately brightened again, and the boys couldn't resist a laugh.

Just then, Peach showed up with their lunch. They were fairly simple sandwiches; either peanut butter and jelly, or cheese and hummus. Ike took a couple of the former with a slight sigh.

"Peach is on a vegetarian spin, it seems," Marth commented when she was out of earshot.

"Yeah..." Ike sighed again and took a bite.

Lucina had taken a PB&J, but she seemed unsure of it. "I don't know what's in this..." she said warily. "What is 'peanut butter', anyway?"

Rufure, on the other hand, had already scarfed down half of a PB&J, and he gave Lucina a thumbs up. "Really good!" he managed to mumble through a mouthful.

"Swallow, Rufure," Robin ordered. "That's disgusting."

"You're doing it too," the male tactician protested, but he did swallow after that.

Marth took a bite of his cheese and hummus sandwich, and smiled. Generally the smashers split up into the groups of their separate worlds at lunch, and it had been awhile since he'd sat around a lunch with so many people. He always liked the sense of camaraderie that came with it.

Though, when he glanced over, he thought Samus looked a little lonely at her table. Defying the 'separate worlds at lunch' tradition, she generally sat with the Wii Fit Trainers these days; however, neither were around at the moment, so she was all by herself.

Vaguely, he heard Chrom make a wisecrack about Robin's eating habits, and her snarky reply_, _but Marth was still looking at Samus. Thinking.

"Hey, Marth!"

Snapping back into reality, the swordsman had the feeling that hadn't been the first time his name had been said. "W-what?" he asked quickly.

"I was saying you shouldn't stare at Samus so much," Ike repeated. "She probably thinks you're weird now."

"Um..." Marth wasn't sure how to reply to that.

"So her name is Samus?" Chrom said thoughtfully. "I was wondering who she was. I haven't met her yet."

"Samus Aran," Ike informed him lightly. "She's a bounty hunter. That stage you were looking at with Robin and Rufure earlier, Norfair? That was from her world."

"Really?" Rufure regarded the blond with some new curiosity. "She's all alone...Is she a loner?"

"Pretty much," Marth confirmed. "Well, I've seen her hanging out with just about everybody, but...well...she doesn't talk much, I guess."

"Man, have I known a lot of guys like that," Robin joked. "Like you, Luci, you hardly ever talked when we met you."

"Well, I was trying not to!" the young woman protested. "I was disguised as a man..."

"You disguised yourself as a boy?" Ike asked. "How did that work? Isn't your hair too long, or was it short then?"

"I had a mask that pinned it up, so it was shorter..."

They started talking about disguises and such, but Marth wasn't paying attention again. There was something so incredibly lonely about Samus...eating her cheese and hummus, all by herself...

"Hey. Marth."

He blinked and glanced up again. This time it was Chrom addressing him, leaning across the table a little to dodge the others' conversation.

"What?" Marth asked.

"You should go talk to her," Chrom said flatly.

The swordsman blinked. "...But...what about? How? I d-don't have anything to talk to her about..."

Chrom shrugged slightly. "I don't know, but...she seems lonely, and it's obvious that you care. ...Well, so do I—I hate it when people are lonely like that—but I don't know her at all, so that would be even more awkward..." He laughed slightly.

Marth smiled faintly. Chrom sat back again, then after a minute joined the rest of the conversation.

Five minutes after that, Marth finished his sandwich, quietly got up, and walked over to Samus' table.

"Mind if I sit down?"

Samus glanced up, obviously startled. "Oh...Hello, Marth."

"Hello," he replied, totally deadpan, and sat down next to her.

She looked away quickly, staring at the few sandwich bites left on her plate. "What's wrong with your friends?" she asked roughly.

"Well, they were talking about disguises, I was bored, so...um..." Marth felt his ears heating up, and inwardly cringed. _Now _that_ was smooth..._ "...Okay, fine. I thought you looked lonely."

"So you decided to cheer me up?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"I don't want pity."

"I'm not pitying you. I'm pitying...hmm." Marth thought a moment. "The table!"

Samus blinked. "What?"

"The table. It's a really nice table, you know. It probably wishes it had more people around, enjoying its surface." Marth tapped the wooden tabletop lightly, which was really no different from any of the other tables.

Samus wasted no time in pointing this out. "It's just a table. Exactly identical to all the other ones."

"Well, maybe. But...there is definitely something about this table that's special! I'm sure of it!" Marth insisted, feeling silly. _What the heck am I saying? I sound like such a dork..._ Still, he was gratified when Samus smiled.

"You're just trying to be nice," she said. "You don't have to do that. I was fine...You can go back to your friends."

"Eh, there are five of them. I think they're fine." Marth smiled and hoped his ears weren't entirely red. "...I like sitting with you, though..."

A fairly awkward silence followed. Samus stared at her plate and the two remaining sandwich bites, while Marth stared at his hands and wondered how much of his embarrassment was showing on his face.

Then, after several minutes, Samus downed the last two bites in one and bent down to put her shoes back on. Marth only noticed then that she'd taken them off.

"Are those hard to walk in?" he found himself asking.

She strapped them on, then finished chewing and swallowed before replying. "You get used to them. And they're better supported then they look—not like normal heels."

"Still, Zelda said they were tall. Three inches or so. Wouldn't that still give you problems?"

Samus stood up, not wobbling in the slightest, and Marth suddenly felt small. "No. Like I said, they're not normal heels. I can walk and run just fine."

"Oh. ...Well, that's good."

Marth stood up himself, and as he'd expected, came over half a foot short of Samus. He sighed inwardly, but outwardly only asked; "What's your job for the afternoon, actually?"

"Programming a stage hazard. And showing around a couple assists." Samus' voice was entirely flat and emotionless. "You?"

"Oh, um...I think I'm supposed to show Lucina around some more," Marth said. "I also have to check on a couple falling platform mechanics, and after that I'm going to help Ike test Skyloft." He paused. "That's around five, if you want to come watch."

Samus paused. "Why would I want to watch? It's just a test. I've seen you both fight hundreds of times."

"I know."

There was a long pause. Then, unexpectedly, Samus let out a slight laugh.

"Okay," she said. "Maybe I'll come by Skyloft at five-ish. I might as well see what new moves you've both learned. Do you mind?"

Marth smiled. "No, I don't mind. Come by whenever you want."

"Then I'll see you later. Bye."

"Bye..."

Then she was gone. Marth watched her running, feet flying over the ground, and blankly thought;

_Hmm. I guess she _can_ run fine in those._

Xx-xXx-xX

Some time later, lunch was over, and they all split up again for their afternoon jobs. Peach looked tired, so Marth offered to help her clean up after lunch, which she gratefully accepted. Lucina helped him, of course, so they both set to work picking up the plates and leftovers.

Besides Peach, Palutena was also helping to clean up. Marth always felt odd when he saw her around here—after six years hearing Pit talk about her in glowing terms, it seemed strange to finally see the real thing. He had met her, of course—Pit had toured her around the mansion on her very first day and introduced her to everybody he knew—but he still really didn't know her very well.

His main impression of her was that she was nice. Pretty, of course. And—which he realized as he watched her talking to Peach, a slight teasing smirk on her face—he supposed she was a bit snarky, too.

"Er, Marth?"

The swordsman glanced over at his companion. "Yes, Lucina?"

"Who is the green-haired woman? I don't believe I've met her."

"Oh—that's Palutena. A goddess of Pit's world—you know him, right?"

"Vaguely," she replied. "We spoke a few days ago, after I arrived."

"Ah. Well, he probably mentioned her at some point..."

Lucina nodded. "Yes, I believe he did. ...In quite 'glowing' terms, I might add."

Marth chuckled. "He does love her a lot, so that's hardly a surprise."

"She must feel very lucky," the woman said softly. "To have someone so devoted..."

The swordsman said nothing—just nodded, and faintly smiled.

Xx-xXx-xX

After cleaning up from lunch, Marth lead Lucina on a rather wandering tour of the Smash Grounds. Some of the stages were done, and he let her walk around on those; others, which were still in construction, he made sure they skirted so as not to disturb the work being done there.

They took a pause at around two-thirty, when they reached the stage Marth needed to work on. He climbed up to one of the lower falling platforms to check the foundation and the mechanics; Lucina watched him carefully as he repaired the first one, then offered to do the second while he took care of the third. He accepted, and watched her carefully climb up to the highest platform to tackle the mechanics.

"Is that really a good idea?"

Marth glanced down at the source of the voice—it was Fox McCloud, a very familiar face. "She went up there before I could say anything," Marth said vaguely, "and you know how it can be dangerous to take someone off there before the repairs are done..."

"True," Fox agreed. "I'm surprised you're on falling platforms today, though—especially with a newcomer. I would've thought they'd give you something less dangerous."

"It's not as bad as it used to be," Marth reasoned. "Remember how these things used to fall out beneath you while you worked on them...so you had about a hundred seconds to do all your major repairs?"

Fox laughed. "Yeah, I remember that. Those were rough..."

Marth checked the foundation again, then frowned as he found something that needed to be fixed. "So, what're you up to today?" he asked as he worked.

"Master Hand told me to find Yoshi for something..." Fox said. "Have you seen him around?"

The swordsman thought for a moment. "I think I saw him back at Yoshi's Island, with Rosalina and some of the Pokemon. Lucario, Charizard, Pikachu, Greninja..."

"Huh. I guess Pokemon like Rosalina," Fox commented.

"Well, originally Lucario was supposed to show her around, and then they all started gathering around her," Marth said thoughtfully. "So, yeah, I guess they do...Though Yoshi's not a Pokemon, of course."

"Well, of course," Fox said with a slight snort. "Oh, by the way. I heard you and Ike were having a fight later?"

"Yeah, we're going to test Skyloft for Master Hand," Marth explained. "It's happening around five..."

"Huh. Maybe I'll come by," Fox said. "Anyway, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you." Marth half-waved, but he was mostly focused on his job and not really paying attention.

He almost missed it when Lucina fell through her platform and hit the ground hard. The shout of pain startled him up.

Lucina was lying on the ground, surrounded by the dust and rubble of a falling platform. Marth felt his stomach sinking. _I can't have killed my newcomer already, can I!?_

"Lucina!" Taking one quick glance at his work, he was satisfied that it was repaired—for now—and jumped off, running over to her. Kneeling at her side, he quickly checked her pulse, and sighed in relief when it was going—and when she moaned and sat up.

"What happened?" she asked, dazed.

"You fell through your platform..." Marth explained, quickly looking her over. "...I don't think you've broken anything...you look mostly fine."

"My head kind of hurts," she commented, rubbing the back of her head. "I might have a bruise..."

"Well, if that's all you got, you're lucky," Marth informed her. "The safeties for the stage weren't turned on—you could've seriously hurt yourself..."

Dizzily, Lucina forced herself to her feet; Marth got up with her, letting her lean against him as she regained her balance. "...I think I'm good," she said after a moment. "Though...I would say the falling part of the platform works..."

Despite himself, Marth laughed. "Okay, I want you to sit down now. Take it easy. I'll go finish fixing it myself, okay?"

Too woozy to protest, Lucina nodded and sat down again.

Xx-xXx-xX

Half an hour later, Marth was finished with the repairs, and the pair left the stage again. Lucina seemed mostly fine, but just to make sure, Marth decided to take her to the resident medic.

One of them, anyway. The official doctor for the mansion was Dr. Mario; though he was retired from fighting, he'd stayed to help behind the scenes. As he was often busy with the more serious injuries, though—not to mention fixing the safety mechanics, of which he was in charge—Marth usually went to someone else for check-ups.

He found Zelda with Toon Link at the Mario Kart stage, specifically with the karts themselves. Toon Link was under one of them, presumably tinkering with the engine, while Zelda was reading a manual and telling him what to change.

"Okay, now look for the red screw...You see it? You've got to take that out before we can open the engine...Oh, hello." Zelda smiled when she caught sight of the two. "What brings you out here?"

"To be honest, I'm curious as to why you're here," Marth said lightly. "I thought Captain Falcon and Samus were the usual kart repairmen."

"Well, the captain was busy with something else, and Samus seemed tired, so I offered to do it for her," Zelda explained. "Then brought Tink along to help."

A muffled "Hyaa!" sounded from underneath the kart, and Zelda nodded. "Right. As he says, you still haven't said why you're here."

_I'll never understand how she understands him,_ Marth thought. Aloud, he said; "Lucina fell through a platform while the safety was off. I was hoping you could—"

"Say no more," Zelda interceded, interlacing her fingers. "Tink, I'll be back in a sec. Just keep on that red screw."

A "Huh!" came in reply, and then Zelda released her hands as purple magic swirled out from her palms. In a second, she was engulfed in light; Lucina gasped in surprise, but Marth merely averted his eyes so as not to get blinded.

A couple seconds later, the light vanished, and Sheik was in Zelda's place. "...Alright, who's injured?" she asked. Her voice was an octave deeper than the princess's, and much flatter and more emotionless.

"Lucina," Marth replied, gesturing at the woman beside him. "She fell through a platform while the safety was off."

"Huh. Let me have a look."

Lucina was staring, and Marth had to nudge her before she'd sit down. Sheik looked around behind her, lightly touching the back of her head. "Hmm..."

"Y-you...changed," Lucina abruptly stammered out. "H-how did you...?"

"Long story," was Sheik's blunt reply. "You definitely have a bruise, and maybe a slight concussion. Try to relax a little."

"B-but...you were Zelda," Lucina mumbled, still shocked. "And n-now you're..."

Marth smiled faintly. "What with all the strange things you've seen today, I'm surprised you find this so shocking," he commented.

"At least she hasn't called me a man yet," Sheik deadpanned.

"Heh. Yeah," Marth agreed. "I know how you hate that."

Lucina's mouth opened, then silently closed, and she blinked a couple times. Then she took a deep breath. "Okay," she mumbled. "Okay. I'm fine."

"Hmm." Though it was impossible to see most of Sheik's face, Marth got the impression she was smiling. "Take it easy the rest of the day. You might want to take an ibuprofen before that headache hits you, but otherwise you're fine."

"Well, that's good," Marth said, relieved. "Thanks, Sheik."

"No problem," she replied as Lucina got up again.

The woman stared at the sheikah for a long moment. Then she suddenly asked; "I think I recall seeing your name on the roster, but I don't remember you being listed with Zelda. Are you...are you even the same person, or...?"

"Sort of." Sheik's voice was level. "It depends on your opinion. I am a form of a Zelda from ages past, while she is my descendant. She gained the powers to change between us at will, largely for this very tournament, in fact."

"They used to switch out in the middle of battles, actually," Marth commented. "But for the new tournament, they decided the two should be kept separate in combat, so Zelda isn't allowed to change forms in battle...and same goes for Sheik. Right?"

Sheik nodded. "Yes. That's also why Samus cannot take her armor off or on during battles any more. Master Hand thought it would be simpler that way."

"But...How can you switch forms like that?" Lucina asked, still confused. "How is that even possible...that you could switch bodies entirely...!"

Marth gave her a light pat on the back. "Some things are better left unexplained, Lucina. Let's leave it at that."

She stammered slightly, then closed her mouth and nodded. He could tell she would've preferred a more logical explanation, but as he had none to give her, he said nothing.

Sheik picked up the kart manual and flipped through it. "Anything left for you to do now?" she asked, her tone still devoid of emotion.

"Just that practice match with Ike in Skyloft, later," Marth replied. "You?"

"Zelda has to finish with this kart, and then I have dinner duty with Peach and Palutena," she stated. "I'm sure she'll want to come by for your match, so I expect we'll see you later."

"Yeah, I guess so." Marth paused. "Do you need any help with this..?"

"Kind of you to offer, but I think we have it covered," Sheik said. "...If you really need something to do, you could clean Samus' armor for her."

"Doesn't she usually do that every morning?" Marth queried.

"Yes, but she worked late last night, so she slept late this morning and was too busy to get to it," Sheik replied. "Zelda was going to do it for her as a favor, but I doubt she would mind if you did it instead."

"Where is Samus Aran, anyway?" Lucina asked, suddenly finding her voice.

"Skyworld stage. Getting rid of an experimental stage hazard."

A loud "Hah!" suddenly came from underneath the kart, and Toon Link slid out from under it a second later. His face was smudged and blackened with grease and dirt, but he triumphantly held up a bright red screw in his left hand.

"Hmm." Sheik glanced back at Marth. "I believe Zelda is needed, so I will see you later."

"Yeah, see you. Thanks for checking Lucina."  
"No problem." Sheik put her fingers together, then released them again, and a familiar spread of light washed over her. A few seconds later, Zelda was back, smiling brightly at Toon Link.

"Great! You got it! Now, let me see...Okay, next we're going to have to pull out the yellow panel...Bye, Marth! ...Do you see the panel?"

The swordsman and the princess left them to their work, heading back towards the Smash Mansion.

Xx-xXx-xX

Samus' door was unlocked, surprisingly enough, and her armor was up on its stand by the wall. It was rather scuffed up, and Marth recalled that she'd been testing a stage last night—it was hardly a surprise that it was like this.

The reason the door was unlocked, though, was Link. He was in there already, blowing out the dust with his Gust Jar (or whatever it was called). He turned it off when he heard them enter, and smiled. "Hai!"

"Hey, Link," Marth replied. "We're going to clean up Samus' armor for her. Don't mind us."

Link nodded cheerfully, then moved out of the way so they could get to the armor. There was a large chest beside it, which contained all of Samus' cleaning supplies; Marth took out a couple clean and oiled cloths, and passed one to Lucina. Then he got to work on the shoulders of the armor.

Lucina knelt down to get the legs, but she was looking over at Link, curious. "He has quite a strange contraption, does he not?" she commented.

Marth nodded. "Link's always had a lot of weird items. Ever since he showed up with that one, though, he's been on cleaning duty—he dusts out all the rooms every other day or so, I think."

"That seems a little unfair," Lucina said. "Just because he has the item...Could he not teach the others how to use it, so he wouldn't have to do it all by himself?"

Marth shrugged. "I know he taught Zelda, but I don't think he minds. Honestly, I think he likes doing it...and it does get him out of most of the harder jobs around here."

"I suppose it would..." Lucina rubbed out a particularly thick patch of dirt, still looking over thoughtfully at Link. "...That boy that Zelda was with earlier was a lot like him, no? They wear similar clothes, and neither talks much..."

"That's definitely true," Marth said with a laugh. "Honestly, I can't remember the last time either of them have really spoken. They do those grunts, like 'hyaa!' and 'huh!', but they don't actually talk. Zelda or Sheik usually just translates..."

"Well, that doesn't mean they're not speaking," Lucina said reasonably. "They're merely speaking in a language that we don't understand."

Marth paused. "...You could look at it that way, I guess," he replied. "Though Master Hand's magic automatically translates everybody else..."

Lucina frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah. We're all speaking different languages, really," Marth explained, "since we're all from such different worlds. There's an enchantment on the mansion and grounds that translates for us, so we can all understand each other. Well..." He glanced over at Link again. "Mostly all, I suppose."

Lucina was quiet for a moment. "...Poor Link," she finally said. "What if he wants to be understood, but just can't...?"

Marth paused. Then he viciously rubbed out another scuff, finishing the shoulder guard he was on. "I never really thought about it that way, but yes...maybe you're right. Poor Link, indeed..."

Xx-xXx-xX

An hour or so later, and they were done. Lucina rubbed on the last bit of polish, then wiped her forehead with a relieved sigh. "Hah! That took longer than I anticipated."

"I think we were done pretty quick, actually," Marth said, putting away Samus' cleaning supplies once again. "Sometimes it takes her two hours, after a particularly harsh battle."

"You do certainly know how to clean it, though," Lucina commented as Marth closed the lid of the chest, snapping it shut with a satisfying 'click'. "Have you done it before?"

"Oh, yes," Marth replied, standing up. "Several times. It's sort of become a tradition that one of us cleans her armor for her whenever there's a holiday, and I was the first one she showed how to do it, so I've had a lot of experience..."

"I see." Lucina was quiet as they stepped outside and closed the door again—Link was long gone by now. "Are you and Lady Aran—er, Samus—close friends?"

Marth smiled to himself. "...Just friends, maybe..."

_ I wish we were close friends,_ he thought ruefully. _But I suppose she doesn't really have_ any_ 'close' friends...except for Sheik and Zelda, maybe. And Peach._

Lucina glanced up at the clock on the wall at the end of the hallway. "...There are twenty minutes to five o'clock," she commented. If nothing else, she'd picked up the Smash Mansion's system of timekeeping easily enough. "Perhaps we should get down to Skyloft?"

Marth glanced over at the clock, confirming what she'd said. "Yeah, I suppose so," he agreed. "But I'd better get suited up properly first..."

Xx-xXx-xX

Twenty-five minutes later, they got to the Skyloft stage. Marth had put his armor and cape back on, as well as strapped on his faithful Falchion. To his surprise, a good deal of the smashers had gathered around the edges to watch—there was Zelda, the Links, Fox, Pit, Rosalina, all the Pokemons, Peach, the Robins and Chrom, Captain Falcon, the Wii Fit Trainers, Palutena...

_Why are there so many people here? _he wondered vaguely. But as he briefly scanned the spectators, he found his mind turning to something else—_where's Samus...?_

"They must have come to watch you and Ike fight," Lucina said, her voice taking on that adoring edge again. "The Hero King and the Radiant Hero..."

"Please," Marth scoffed, "most of them have seen us fight plenty of times. It is the first proper runthrough of completed Skyloft, though..."

"And it is my first battle since I got back from training," a voice commented from behind them.

Marth turned around. "Good point. Maybe they're sizing up the competition."

"Well, let's not disappoint them, then," Ike said lightly. He was suited up in his whole outfit once again, the golden sword Ragnell in his hands. "I've missed fighting you, Marth. This should be fun."

Marth smiled. "Indeed." Then, regarding Lucina's starstruck expression, he added to her; "Maybe you should go sit down."

Nodding slightly, she wandered off, her gaze lingering on Ike and Marth for as long as she could. Then she almost tripped over Pikachu, and, embarrassed, made her way to Chrom and the Robins.

It was about then that Master Hand found them. _"Excellent, you're both here. Now then. The battle is one-on-one, stock match, unlimited time, one stock each. Are you prepared?"_

Marth nodded. "I'm ready. Ike?"

"Same," the mercenary replied.

_"Then let us begin."_ Master Hand snapped his fingers, and Marth felt the very familiar sensation of floating wash over him as his vision clouded in darkness.

Xx-xXx-xX

A few seconds later, he stepped out of a portal into the stage. Ike appeared in a flurry of fire opposite him, eyes practically glowing with anticipation. Around the floating platform was suddenly nothing but sky, though he knew that the spectators were still there—merely out of the combatants' sight.

Marth drew Falchion and took his ready position as Master Hand's voice carried across the stage;

_ "Three...Two...One..."_

Marth wondered if Samus was watching.

_ "GO!"_

Then there was no time for thought as both swordsmen exploded into motion. Marth leapt into the air as Ike slammed past him with a powerful, and very familiar, sideways slash. Landing on a higher platform, Marth rolled backwards as Ike spun around again, ready for another attack. Raising his sword in a block, the swordsman waited for Ike to charge him, waiting for the last second before jerking himself downwards, as if he were going down to his knees.

He always felt a little queasy when he fell through a platform. One second it was solid ground, and the next he went through it as if it were air. But he didn't let that distract him, and leapt up again in an instant, swiping his sword up and across Ike's chest as he flew through the platform again. Ike flew backward, slamming into the ground with an audible thud, and Marth rushed for him, sword at the ready.

Ike smoothly rolled to his feet and took a sweeping slash that Marth didn't see coming until it was too late. Pain exploded in his chest as he fell backwards; he gritted his teeth and kept his footing, launching himself at Ike once again.

Falchion and Ragnell collided with a dull clang, seamlessly flying off each other to attack again. Marth was on the offensive, but every swing he made was countered by Ike's golden blade; still the mercenary let himself be pushed back by his opponent's momentum, until his foot was almost at the edge.

Then, when Marth swung down overhead, Ike caught it against his own blade and held it. For a split second, they strained against one another's strength; then Ike shoved Falchion up and drove his heel into Marth's foot, causing the swordsman to gasp in pain. Not pausing between moves, Ike followed up with a knee to his opponent's stomach, knocking him back; and then, as Marth staggered from the pain, Ike swept his blade up and slammed it down into him.

Marth felt his body flying backwards, and closed his eyes tightly, trying to ignore the agony spreading through his limbs. _It'll fade, it'll fade, it'll fade..._

Then he connected with the ground, landing on his back first and causing his head to whiplash back against the cold plaza tiles. Ike's sword wounds had already dulled to a tense ache, and Marth flipped up to his feet even as Ike rushed for him again.

This time, he was ready, and just before Ragnell hit him he whipped Falchion up again. The golden blade bounced off his own, and Falchion's cold steel tip shot out into Ike, knocking him away. Marth came at him again, his sword no more than a blur as he swung once and twice and three times again.

But before he could finish the attack, Ike threw Ragnell into the air. Marth knew what that meant, but caught in his move as he was, he was too slow to prevent it.

He knew that horrid 'crack' of steel slamming into his back all too well. Landing hard on the ground again, Marth barely had time to start to rise to his feet before he saw a sweeping golden blur coming down on him.

He was flying. There was a bright light

The rest was darkness.

Xx-xXx-xX

Marth awoke on the edge of the stage, restored to its normal state. He felt slightly woozy, but he knew that was only to be expected, after a match like that.

He sat up, rubbing his temples, and felt his stomach drop. _I...lost, didn't I?_ he realized. _I lost..._

The sound of voices awoke him from his daze, and he looked towards the source. Ike was on the other side of the stage, surrounded by several of the other smashers—both Robins, Link, Zelda, Rosalina, Fox, Mega Man...Even Lucina was there, practically right at his side. Despite the distance, Marth could make out the adoring light in her eyes, and sighed slightly. _You too, Lucina?_ he thought wearily. _Even my own descendant likes him better now..._

Marth tried to stay above jealousy, but he had to admit—this wasn't a good feeling he was having right now.

"Are you alright?"

The voice startled him, and he turned. There was Chrom, just a little ways off, holding Marth's Falchion. "Master Hand said you'd be fine, but you didn't look very good..." he added.

Marth nodded and stood up groggily. "I'll...be fine. It's always like this after a match..."

Chrom offered his ancestor the sword, and Marth took it from him, sliding it into the sheath at his side. "Thanks."

"It was a good fight, wasn't it?" Chrom said. "You held your own for a long time."

"Yes, it was good," Marth agreed. "I hope Ike managed to test everything he was supposed to."

"Master Hand told him he was done for the day, so I believe he did," the Exalt informed him. "After that was when they all crowded around him like that."

Marth snorted slightly, then felt a little embarrassed. "Well, I guess it was the newcomers' first time watching a battle, so naturally they'd flock to the winner for advice," he said logically. "And Link and Zelda and Fox were probably impressed by his progress..."

"Has he gotten stronger since last time?" Chrom queried.

Marth nodded. "I hadn't thought it possible, but I believe he has..."

Chrom paused. "...Why would it be impossible?" he finally asked.

The swordsman sighed. "He was already one of the strongest of us, in the last tournament. He carried Ragnell around like it weighed nothing to him, and he could out arm-wrestle all of us, even Ganondorf. But now, he's...even more so..."

"You must be proud."

Marth blinked. "...Proud? Why?"

"Well..." Chrom paused again. "He looks up to you a lot, you know. You're like an older brother to him. He said that was why he was so eager to fight you today—so he could show you how much stronger he'd gotten."

The swordsman was quiet for a moment. _Really? He's never really acted like he cared so much about what I thought...we were only friends, after all. Why would he look up to me like that...?_

"He really told you that?" Marth queried.

Chrom nodded. "We were talking about that match earlier today. He was really excited, so I asked him about it..."

"I...see." Marth closed his eyes, and smiled faintly. "I see..."

There was a brief silence between them. Then Chrom said; "Well, I'm supposed to help some of the assists get dinner ready, so I'd better get going. I'll see you later, alright?"

Marth nodded. "Yes, later..."

But after Chrom was gone, Marth found himself watching the other side of the stage. Some of the smashers were gone, but Ike was still there, as were Lucina, Rufure, and Link. He could see Lucina gushing over him even from here, and couldn't resist a sigh.

_Helping the assists with dinner..._ he thought sadly. _By the next tournament, I could be one of those assists...and after that, maybe nothing at all..._

Xx-xXx-xX

Dinnertime came, and the great hall of Smash Mansion was alive and buzzing with activity. Plates and glasses clinked, voices chatted and laughed, and the air was filled with cheer and camaraderie.

On the edge of the mix of smashers at their tables, Marth sat in one of the corner tables by himself. A few tables over, he could see Ike with Lucina and the Robins, laughing over something Robin had said. Rufure was on Ike's left, and seemed tired, judging by how his head was leaning on Ike's shoulder. The mercenary didn't seem to mind.

One table over from them were Link, Toon Link, Zelda, and an orange-haired woman Marth recognized as one of the assists. Near that were Pit and Palutena, exchanging wordplay as Rosalina peacefully looked on; the latter woman herself had her Luma on her shoulder, Pikachu in her lap, and Charizard dozing off at her feet—Marth vaguely wondered how she attracted Pokemon like that.

Everybody seemed so happy and lighthearted, but Marth's mind was still clouded with dark thoughts...

_Who knows how much longer I'll have here in the mansion..._

A loud clatter snapped him to attention. He stared blankly at the large tray now in front of him, stacked with plates of spaghetti, fish and chips, and a baked potato that looked a little half-baked. Then he looked up at the server. "I didn't ask for any food."

"You were in a match earlier, so you need the nutrients," Peach told him firmly.

Marth poked the fish. "Weren't you on a vegetarian spin earlier?"

"Vegetarians can eat fish sometimes!" she insisted. "Besides, you definitely need the weight. You must've lost thirty pounds since we last fought!"

"I haven't changed my eating habits—" Marth protested, but was cut off by Peach poking a forkful of spaghetti in his mouth.

"No more talking!" she said sternly. "You're thin as a stick and I'm not letting you starve yourself any longer! Now eat up! I expect those plates to be clean when I come back to pick them up, you understand?"

Marth, his mouth still full, could only nod.

Peach flashed a brilliant smile and pecked Marth on the cheek. "Great!" Then she left again.

The swordsman finished chewing, then swallowed, before looking back at the food before him. _How does she expect me to eat all this?_ he wondered incredulously. _Does she think I'm Ike, or something?_

"Does she think you're Ike or something?" Samus' cool voice came from behind him, startling him once again. He looked behind him to find that she was in all her armor, save for the helmet, which she'd removed.

"Were you reading my thoughts?" Marth asked jokingly.

She shrugged slightly. "Perhaps I shouldn't have commented that I thought you looked thin earlier."

"Oh, so you got Peach worried about me. I'm touched."

Samus snorted. "It's not like I was trying. She was wondering how you lost to Ike, and I suggested that you'd lost too much weight, and was getting knocked around more because of it."

"...I don't think that's it," Marth said evenly, but he suddenly felt a lot happier. "So you were at the match earlier?"

She nodded. "You did good. It's not your fault Ike's turned into a monster."

Marth laughed. "I wouldn't call him _that,_ but his strength is truly impressive, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose so." Samus walked forward and slid onto the bench next to Marth, setting her helmet aside. "I also suppose that since I got Peach on your case, I should help you out with this. Would you rather have the fish, or the potato?"

"Um, the fish?" Marth said tentatively.

Samus picked up the potato, looked it over, then took a bite. "Hmm. Not bad."

Marth blinked. Then he couldn't resist asking; "Aren't you supposed to use a fork...?"

She glanced at it, then at him. Then she shrugged.

For some reason he didn't quite understand, Marth laughed. A faint laugh escaped Samus' lips, and the resulting smile didn't fade away like it usually did.

Suddenly, the food didn't seem as unappetizing as before. Encouraged, Marth took another bite of spaghetti.

Samus took another bite of potato, then leaned over and stole a couple of his chips. "Thanks for cleaning my armor, by the way," she said.

"You're welcome," Marth replied automatically. "...Did Zelda tell you we did?"

"No, but I can always tell when you've cleaned my armor," she replied. Then her cheeks flushed slightly pink, as if she were embarrassed. "You always do it better than anyone else."

"Except for you, of course," he pointed out.

"Well, yes, of course," she agreed. "But you're second best."

"Second best is good," he said, but some of the cheer had abruptly slipped from his voice.

There was a tense pause. Samus finished the potato, and Marth tried some of the fish.

Then, abruptly, the woman spoke; "Just because you lost to Ike doesn't make you second-best. Not to anyone."

Marth started. "H-how did you...?"

"I know that Lucina looks a lot like you." Samus spoke in a rush, as if she were afraid that she would lose her nerve if she lost her momentum. "She talks like you, acts like you, she's even descended from you. And the Robins are flashy with their new magic and Levin Swords, and Ike is stronger than he's ever been before. But that doesn't make you worse than them. That doesn't mean they're replacing you."

"I never said—"

"Lucina may seem like a hotshot new thing now, but just remember that everything she is came from _you._ You were her inspiration in everything she did; without you, she wouldn't exist. You're practically a brother to Ike, a big brother, and no matter what it seems like he's always looking up to you. Lucina wouldn't exist, Ike wouldn't be so strong, without _you,_ which is why you're never going to be second-best, not to anyone. Not to _anyone._"

Samus' level tone broke on the last word, letting slip a piece of emotion Marth had never heard from her—concern. Actual concern.

_ Is Ice Queen Samus Aran actually..._worried_ about me?_ Marth thought, amazed. _I never thought..._

For all that she'd said, Marth couldn't think of anything better to say than; "Okay."

She blinked a couple times, her face reforming back to its normal emotionless expression. "Good." She leaned over and took a couple more of his chips.

As Samus picked off parts of his dinner, Marth was struggling to find the right words to say. "...Do you really mean all that?" he finally asked, as she took the last chip from his plate.

She paused, then nodded and popped the chip in her mouth. Then, wonder of wonders, she actually smiled. "Yes. Yes, I did."

Marth wondered if he had dozed off at his table. All this seemed too unreal...Samus giving him a pep talk? Samus smiling? Samus being..._concerned_ about him?

As if reading his thought, the blond leaned over and gently pinched his hand. "No, I'm not messing with you," she said, answering his unspoken question. "I really do mean it. You're not second-best."

Marth managed a shaky smile, still more confused than anything else. Samus' smile didn't waver, even as she took the fork from his limp hand and dug it into his spaghetti. Her face was just about seven inches from his, and her blue eyes were locked on his, her pupils reflecting a thousand points of light from the crystal chandelier overhead.

Her gaze unchanging, she wound several long noodles around and around the fork. Then, slowly, she lifted it up and put it in her mouth. Marth stared, mesmerized.

Samus chewed one, two, four, six times. Then she set down the fork, swallowed, and leaned back again, breaking her gaze.

"I can't eat all your dinner," she said, voice still that maddening level tone. "Peach will be annoyed. I should get going."

"Wait a minute."

Samus paused, glancing back at him. "Yes?"

Marth took a deep breath, then let it out again. For several long seconds, all was silent. He felt like the rest of the room had disappeared entirely.

"...Marth?" she finally asked.

Then the blue-haired swordsman, hero king of Altea, savior of Akaneia and second best to none, but currently terrified out of his mind—leaned forward and gave her a kiss.

The instant he did it, Marth felt a mixture of emotions—happiness and pleasure, because he'd finally done it, with terror and regret that he'd been too forward and ruined their friendship forever.

He sat back again, searching her eyes desperately for any sign of emotion, but her face was as blank as ever. The regret began to overtake the rest of his mind.

"...S-sorry..." he finally mumbled through the lump in his throat.

Then Samus laughed, her voice catching slightly. "Well..." She took a quick breath. "That wasn't...totally unpleasant."

Marth blinked. "What...?"

Samus smirked. "We should do that again sometime."

Then she was gone, as quickly as she'd appeared.

And though Marth was rather confused, he also had a very warm feeling inside. It didn't go away, either—not when Lucina came to join him and chattered on about the match earlier and how he _should_ have won; not when Robin and the Wii Fit Trainer got on the table to show Chrom how to do a proper Sun Salutation; not when Link and Pikachu got in an argument that nobody could understand; and not even when dinner was over and he was alone in his room, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars Roy had pasted on the ceiling in constellations in their first year that Marth never had the heart to take down after he left.

They were reminders of one of his best friends that he hadn't seen in six years, but tonight, Marth picked out Ursa Minor in the stars and smiled.

_I think this tournament...might be the best one yet._

* * *

**_A/N:_**

_As you can probably guess, I'm feeling positive about Super Smash Bros. 4. :D_

_Anyway, this was a totally random thing I randomly felt like writing. I actually wrote it after they announced Lucina and Robin, because I though...Well, I wanted Chrom, but Marth showing fangirly Luci around SSB-world would be fun...And then I can squeeze Marth/Samus in there!_

_...So yeah, there you go. The ending seems weak, but otherwise I'm pretty happy with it. :)_

_Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Reviewers are always loved and appreciated~ X3_

_~DarkieDucessa_


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